Still To Late?
by CMC3
Summary: After being tortured and then rescued, Ziva can't help but think: Is it to late for her to express her feelings. Spoilers for Truth or Consequences and Reunion. Hopefully story will be better than summary.
1. Chapter 1

It was too late. She had made her decision; she had stayed in Israel. _I had a good reason though. I had to protect them. I had to protect him. Just like I have to protect them now, even if it means I have to die._ She reasoned with herself.

Nevertheless, no matter how rational her mind tried to be, she couldn't help but miss him. But wish that she got to see him one more time. _I never even told him how I feel._ Truth be told, she had not even realized how she felt until she had seen him turn his back on her at the airport.

Saleem walked in and forcefully put a bag over her head. As the day progressed, she couldn't help but wonder how, or better yet, why Tony and McGee were willing to through away everything for revenge.

She understood how Gibbs had been able to kill the man that killed his wife and daughter all those years ago. After all, she herself had felt that after Talia died. She could not fault him for something she herself wished she had been able to get.

As she was looking down the barrel for Saleem's gun, her only thought was, _finally. _After months, she was finally being put out for her misery. She had endured all of the torture Saleem gave her for the sole reason of protecting the team. Now, she would die to make sure the others did not have to.

However, the shot never came. Instead, when a shot rang out, Saleem was the one to go down.

As Tony and McGee carried me down the hall, I thought I was seeing things. Surly Gibbs was not here, saving me. Surly he had not just done the same as he had after his family died, for me. I must be hallucinating.

The last thing I heard before I fell unconscious was the voice I had been dreaming about in the few hours I slept. Saying the one thing I thought would never happen.

"Let's go home."

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Hey, this is my first story on here. Please review and tell me if you think I should continue. Thanks.


	2. Chapter 2

I frodot to put this in the first chapter so here it is. I do not own NCIS or any of the charaters on it.

On another note, I opened a pole on my profile, so go on it and vote. Also, reviews make me post sooner(wink, wink). Ok, here it is, enjoy!

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The cargo plane had taken off just before sunset. On board was the team, that it what he still thought of them as, a team. They hadn't been the same after he left Ziva in Israel, but that was going to be different now.

Tony had fallen asleep almost as soon as the plane had taken off; after he had made sure everyone was indeed on it.

McGee had called Abby before they had taken off to tell her that Ziva was alive and that we were bringing her home. He too had fallen asleep within minutes of takeoff.

Ziva was alive, he still couldn't believe it. They had gone to Somalia to seek revenge, just as he had after his family had died. Instead, they had found Ziva. She was alive, but he would not know if she was the same until she awoke.

Almost as soon as she had seen him, she had passed out. He had nearly followed suit, but seeing her like that kept him going. Tony and McGee had obviously been exhausted. So, as soon as they had reached the airport, Gibbs had taken it upon himself to carry Ziva into the plane and situate her in the seat next to his. Gibbs was sure Tony and McGee had seen this as an act of giving them a break and helping out. In reality, Gibbs just wanted to have her close.

He hadn't realized how attached to the Israeli he was until he left her. _And how he regretted that decision_. At first, he had assumed it was just the absence on the team that had him constantly thinking about her, worrying about where she was and if she was safe. More nights than not, he would wake up from dreaming about her. However, after weeks of dreaming about her and refusing to fill her position, he finally figured it out. He finally realized why he couldn't stop thinking about her

_Why didn't I see it before? We have shared so much. She knew about Shannon and Kelly long before the rest of the team had found out, yet she did not treat me any differently. She had helped me regain my memory after the explosion. Hell, she had killed her own brother to save me. _Gibbs thought for the thousandth time. _Even if I hadn't seen it then, why didn't I see it when I had willingly come back from Mexico to help her? _Shemay have seen it as repaying a favor, but he had just known he had to help her.

As he pondered these things, he had subconsciously shifted so that Ziva was pressed right up against him. Whether it was the fatigue of the mission, the adrenaline of seeing Ziva alive finally wearing off, or just the simple presence of Ziva leaning on him, Gibbs drifted off with one final thought.

_I have to tell her._


	3. Chapter 3

I still don't own NCIS. OK, here is the next chapter. Enjoy!

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As she regained consciousness, Ziva was aware of many things at once.

First, she was on a plane. The occasional shaking of the plane and constant purr of the plane's engine were proof enough of that. It was comforting, knowing she was no longer in the cell awaiting another round of torture.

Next was the fact that the team was on the plane with her. After so much time wishing to be with them again, this brought her a brief sense of peace. Hearing Tony snoring and McGee talking in his sleep. These remind her that she is in fact safe, that them rescuing her was not just something her imagination came up with to help her keep her sanity.

Lastly and most importantly was the presence of a certain man next to her and the fact that she was leaning against him. As soon as this thought processed in her mind, the calm she had when she awoke left. It was replaced with anxiousness, and a feeling she could not quite identify. Almost as if she was glad to be leaning against him.

Making sure not to move from her position as too not wake Gibbs up, she opened her eyes to look at him. Looking at his face, she saw that he was asleep. _He seems peaceful. His face is so calm. _She felt the sudden urge to touch his face. Luckily, she managed to restrain herself before she moved and woke him upfrom his state of peace.

It was then that she realized that she had somehow ended up with her head tucked into the crook of his neck. This not only caused her alarm, _If he wakes up with me like this it will be so embarrassing, _but also made her realize that she had no idea how she got onto the plane, into the seat next to Gibbs, or with her head on his shoulder.

_Try to think about this rationally. _She thought to herself. _Someone must have carried me onto the plane, that much is obvious. The only one that would have put me next to Gibbs is Gibbs. I wonder why he did that? Wait, Gibbs carried me? _This thought gave her a feeling of pleasure that she did not understand. She had to mentally force her thoughts back to her questions. _OK, so that answers my first two questions, but how did my head end up on his shoulder? _

After a few minutes of mulling over that question, she finally came to a decision. _Since it is not likely I will figure this out, it may be easier if I just shift before he wakes up. _Confident that this would save them both, but mostly her, some embarrassment, she started to shift so that she was no longer leaning on him.

However, Gibbs seemed to have other ideas. In her attempt to free herself, she had not noticed that his arm was wrapped around her waist. When she attempted to shift away, he subconsciously tightened his grip on her. This action pulled her into his side.

_What the..?_ As soon as Gibbs did this, Ziva stiffened. She was not used to this sort of contact even before her capture.

However, as soon as Ziva stiffened, Gibbs stirred from in his sleep.

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Review and tell me what you think. Remember, the more reviews I get, the more motivated I am to write the next chapter.


	4. Chapter 4

Ok, so here is the next chapter. I still don't own NCIS. Also, thank you too all those that reviewed and to those few that sent me more than one, asking me to write the next chapter. They really push me to write. So, ya, thanks and enjoy!!

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Gibbs awoke slowly. Amazingly, he had just had a dreamless sleep. This was something that had not happened since he left Ziva in Israel. No matter how hard he worked himself, he always awoke the next morning with the remembrance of a dream including Ziva in it.

As Gibbs thought about what could possibly have allowed him this dreamless sleep, suddenly everything came back to him.

The months of being a barely functional team, the day they learned of the ship Ziva had been on had disappeared, Ziva presumed dead. Going to Somalia to get revenge, Ziva alive. The trip to the plane, carrying Ziva into the plane. Taking off, Ziva asleep. It all came back to him at once.

That was when it occurred to him that he had no idea what had woken him up. With that thought in mind, he opened his eyes.

Nothing seemed out of place. Tony and McGee were asleep across from him, Ziva asleep on his shoulder. _Wait, Ziva on my shoulder. But if she is asleep, she would not be so stiff. She was not like that when I fell asleep. That must be what woke me up. _

Looking down at her, his gut told him that she was awake and simply faking being asleep.

_Well, it is about time I talk to her. We have a few things to discuss._

Decided in what he would do, he thought about the best way to approach a conversation with her.

_I don't want to startle her, so just saying something is out of the question. I could nudge her; let her know that I am awake. But then again I don't know where she is hurt. _Going through his options, Gibbs was starting to get frustrated at the fact that he had no idea how to even start a conversation with her.

_Not to mention if she does not want to talk. Aurg!! Why is this so hard! I just want to talk to her._

Feeling helpless, Gibbs decided to do the only thing that was safe, wait. He would wait until she ether looked up at him or started talking herself. Even if she didn't want to talk, he would provide comfort with his presence.

After a few minutes of silence, Gibbs let his gaze drift from Ziva to his two sleeping agents. They both looked peaceful. A look upon their faces that had not been present in a long time. Ever since Israel, things had been different.

Tony no longer cracked jokes every other minute. In fact, he spoke little more than what was needed. He also no longer chased every woman that passed him by. It was as if he no longer had a reason to live.

While Tony had receded within himself, McGee had done the opposite. McGee had gone to Abby, both to seek comfort and to provide the rock that she obviously needed. They had grown close these last few weeks. Going out to lunch, dinner, seeing movies together. It seemed they had both found someone to lean on and he hoped that even with Ziva coming back they would continue to do those things. They both deserved someone and, though he made it seem as though he was opposed to relationships within the office, he thought they would make a good couple. He saw both of them as his children. He knew that they had much in common, but also saw enough difference between them that if they were to start a relationship, it would most likely be successful in the long run.

As Gibbs drifted back from his reminiscing, he felt a gaze on his face.

Looking down, he was greeted with the sight of Ziva's brown eyes looking into his blue ones. Suddenly, all his thoughts disappeared.

"Hey."

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Hope you enjoyed it. Please review and remember, the more reviews I get the more likly I am to post the next chapter soon (hint, hint).


	5. Author Note

**Hey. OK so if you don't want to read this you don't have to, but it may help.**

**First off, I want to say sorry. I know I haven't posted in a while, but things have been really busy the last couple of weeks. On top of that, my muse has officially left the building. **

**So, that in mind, I would like to ask that if you have any ideas of what you want to happen next chapter or in future chapters, send them to me. Who knows, they might just inspire me.**

**I do have part of the next chapter written, and I am trying to continue, but I just can't seem to get it to be how I think it should be, if that makes sense. **

**Anyway, to those of you who took the time to read this, thank you. I hope to hear your ideas or just you telling me to get in gear and post something, which ever it is. **

**So, until something sparks my interest, Thanks.**


	6. Chapter 5

**OK, so I kind of forced this out so that I could move on to the next chapters. Anyway, special thanks to Riverhawk for the ideas. I really appreciate it. Anyway, here it is.**

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"_Hey."_

As soon as Gibbs looked down at her, she knew that she should talk to him. It wasn't as if she did not want to talk to him, it was just that she had no idea what to talk about.

She didn't want to talk about what happened to her. However, she found that she did want to talk to him.

"Hello," her voice was rough from disuse and lack of water. Even just that one word made her voice crack.

The air was so thick with tension you could cut it with a knife. But not tension at each other, more the situation in general.

Deciding to try to lighten the mood, Ziva spoke. "So, how was your summer?" she whispered.

At this, Gibbs had to chuckle. Her voice was crackly, making her sound oddly similar to the cookie monster. Also, just the fact that she was trying to joke with him after what she had been through showed that she was not entirely lost.

"Well, it was pretty uneventful, you know. Caught a few criminals, worked on my boat, flew to another continent to execute a black ops mission to rescue you." Gibbs said sarcastically. He was rewarded with a small half smile from Ziva.

"Oh, so just another few months at the office,"

They once again lapsed into silence. However, this time it was not filled with tension or worry. This time it was compatible.

_Well, at least that was a start. Plus the tension isn't really there anymore. _As Ziva was thinking, she saw Gibbs glance over at her for the third time. _Okay, now that is just getting annoying. Either he wants to ask me something or he is making sure I am still here. Or both._

Turning to look him in the eye, Ziva decided that being blunt would work best in this situation.

"If there is something you want to ask, just spit it out already."

Gibbs looked slightly taken aback by her statement and just gaped at her. Ziva simply raised her eyebrow as best she could.

"Well?"

Unfortunately, just as Gibbs looked like he was going to say something, Tony woke up.

"Ziva!!"

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**So that was it. Review and tell me what you thought. Remember, reviews make me want to post sooner (hint, hint). Thanks!**


	7. Chapter 6

**OK, so here is the next chapter. Sorry it took so long. Enjoy!**

**P.S. The note at the end of the chapter is VERY important, so please read it.**

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Unfortunately, just as Gibbs looked like he was going to say something, Tony woke up.

"_Ziva!!" _

At the sound of Tony yelling, McGee woke up and tried to stand just as the plane hit turbulence. This caused McGee to going flying into Tony, knocking him down as he tried to stand up, and sent both of them sprawling to the floor.

Looking up from the mess of limbs that were his and Tony's, McGee finally realized that Ziva was awake. "Ziva!!"

Having finally righted himself, Tony looked at McGee and said, "I just said that, McDeaf. And what was that? I mean, I know I am completely irresistible, but I prefer women throwing themselves at me."

"What? No, no, NO. It wasn't like that. The turbulence..." McGee stuttered.

In a soft voice, Tony said, "It's okay if you feel that way, Tim. But you need to come on out of the closet." A smile grew on his face. "Don't you agree, Ziva?" Tony looked over at her and Gibbs, who had removed his arm, seeming to have just realized what started everything in the first place.

"Ziva!!" He yelled once again, causing McGee to stop glaring at Tony for his last statement.

"How are you," they both started at the same time." How," doing it once again they sent glares at each other. Meanwhile, Ziva and Gibbs had been watching the whole scene with a mixture of humor and annoyance. Humor at the familiar banter. Annoyance that 1. Tony kept yelling and 2. They hadn't gotten to continue, or start, depending on how you look at it, their conversation.

"If you are trying to ask how I am feeling, I feel as good as can be expected except for the headache I am sure to have if you continue to yell." Ziva said.

Tony and McGee had enough grace to look sheepish.

"Sorry," They both said.

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Hello there, everyone that is reading this. I want to say thanks to all of you that have reviewed and I hope to get more reviews. However, I felt that is was only fair to let you all know that I will not be posting new chapters on this for a while. The two main reasons for this are 1) I don't know where I want to go from here with is story(ideas are welcomed, and 2) my sports started up again so by the time I get home, take a shower, get my homework done, and eat, I no longer have the drive to write. I am sorry about this and will try to write in my little free time but no promises. Anyway, thank you all for your reviews and support and I hope to post something soon. Until then. xCMC3

P.S. Reviews are still welcomed


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